Padres Star Breaks Silence on Shock Craig Stammen Hire

The San Diego Padres finally have their new manager after over three weeks of interviews, signing former relief pitcher Craig Stammen to a three-year deal to be the leader in the Padres' clubhouse.

Stammen has never coached or managed at any level, having retired just three seasons ago. He spent the final six seasons of his 13-year career in San Diego, holding a 3.36 ERA and a 29-20 record as a reliever.

Stammen is certainly in a unique position, as it is rare for relievers, who haunt the bullpen instead of spending time in the dugout, to earn managerial roles. However, despite the unchartered waters Stammen is now entering, he has the support of his former teammates.

“It’s not something you expect out of a reliever,” Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove — who played two seasons with Stammen — told The San Diego Union-Tribune."You don’t see many relievers get the job Craig just got. But Craig is one of the most high-integrity people I’ve ever been around. Outside of how good a person he is and how good he is at matching personalities and finding ways to connect to people from different parts of the world, he has got a really good baseball mind as well.”